P.S. 93’s S.T.E.A.M. Magnet grant helps nurture a growing school community.

By Denise Henry

At P.S. 93 The Magnet School of S.T.E.A.M in Brooklyn, students know that their achievements and successes are all made possible through hard work, collaboration, and teamwork. 

“From the school aides to the teachers to the school safety agents, everybody plays a part in their moments with the kids,” says Shantel Ward, P.S. 93 community school director. “You see it as they walk out of the school building and they interact with community members and when they’re here in the classrooms and hallways working with their friends. It’s a really great school and it takes an immense amount of work to see changes. It’s not immediate, but just to see the progress, and the gradual changes, that’s the work.” 

As a member of P.S. 93 for the past 26 years, Sharon Pulliam, Magnet Coordinator, has seen great improvements since P.S. 93 became a Magnet School. A Magnet School is a New York City public school that focuses on a specific area of study. At P.S. 93 they call themselves Team S.T.E.A.M. 93.

“Becoming a Magnet School and focusing on S.T.E.A.M., I’ve seen the school grow,” Ms. Pulliam says. “We have begun to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. What inspired us to apply for the Magnet grant was the fact that we had been involved with Disney Musicals in Schools, and they did an amazing job with the kids.”

Ms. Pulliam has many fond memories of student’s excitement as they transformed the school hallways into a jungle for The Jungle Book theater production and when they were invited backstage at a Broadway show. Teachers saw students who had trouble managing their behavior, laugh, focus, and thrive while performing on stage. 

“It was this one year that was so inspiring that a student did so well as the lead in the Disney production, and now I see he’s going off to college,” Ms. Pulliam says. “That’s what started us with the arts and it grew with all of the aspects of S.T.E.A.M.”

While many 3K-5 students at P.S. 93 gravitate towards the arts and music, staff are seeing increased interest and advancement in other areas of S.T.E.A.M. 

“We’ve moved away from them sitting at the desk. That’s just not the way that children learn. It’s project based learning, and I have seen the difference. I’ve seen the school grow,” Ms. Pulliam says.

With everything from hands-on science projects to studio art to running for student council, these scholars are becoming independent leaders and building important life-long skills.  

“Everyone has a hand in everything and that’s what makes us special because we are about collaboration and teamwork,” says Ms. Pulliam. “We don’t say, ‘You’re too young.’ We don’t leave anyone out.”

And that is especially true when it comes to The Mindfulness Room. This space is where students and staff can go to rest and take a moment to relax during the school day. As part of social emotional learning time, practicing mindfulness to reduce stress is integrated into every class’s daily schedule.

“We’re a really tight knit community where we really care about our students’ overall well being. Yes, academics is at the forefront, but we want to make sure, coming off of the pandemic, our students are mentally prepared as well as academically prepared,” says Assistant Principal Michelle White. “Once they leave our doors, they’re solid. We work together. Everyone has their strengths and something to bring to the table no matter their role. We’re such a small community, many of us wear many hats when it comes to the students and the day to day, and we’re very proud of that fact.”

In addition to being a Magnet School, P.S. 93 is also an International Baccalaureate candidacy school. If they receive authorization to become an IB school, students will be given choices that align with the curriculum as well as their personal interests when they present their final projects.

“The cross-curriculum learning is what we’re about and we’re striving to keep it going,” says Assistant Principal White. “We’re still in the beginning phase of it, the teachers are developing new units, we hope to have 6 IB units by the 2023-24 school year. I think because we’re all learners and creators doing this together, that’s going to further solidify the community that we have already set in place.”

Building a strong school community as they navigate the many struggles of a public school education is difficult work. But the resilience and solid foundation at P.S. 93 helps staff members problem solve, encourage, and lift each other up daily.  

“I liken it to shark teeth,” says Assistant Principal White. “Sharks have rows of teeth but when one is missing the other two move up quickly to make sure the space is filled. We don’t miss a beat.”

Oftentimes that means recognizing when students need support well before the school day even begins.

“We want to make sure that all of the students are doing well and thriving. As a parent, you want to know that your child is going to be in a certain type of environment. You want to feel it from the office staff and school safety when you’re greeted,” says Assistant Principal White. “It’s very important to us. If a student comes in late, we ask, ‘Are you hungry?’ There’s no trying to learn when you’re hungry. We make sure our students are set up then they go off to class. That lessens the distractions so they can be more focused.” 

Principal Michelle Robinson recognizes that the health and well-being of her staff is also a vital component to building a strong school community. 

“That’s the first order of business at P.S. 93, creating that nurturing space. Every staff member who works here, they have to love children, they have to want to be here,” says Principal Robinson. “They have to be caring not just to our scholars, but caring among themselves because they are role models. Our students see and hear everything that the adults do. I have my staff take a hard look at themselves when they come into the door every morning to check, ‘How am I presenting myself?’ because how I present myself is how my students will receive me. If you don’t feel comfortable and wanted and loved, it’s hard for you to achieve.”

Throughout the hallways of P.S 93, any visitor can see the many achievements within this welcoming school environment. From the talented violinists making music, the creative wood projects, in depth drawings of the parts of a plant, to scholars drawing their ideas and inquiries about how the world works. Learning at P.S. 93 is loud, big, colorful, and constantly evolving. Just like the scholars. 

“In addition to focusing on the education and the math, we try to build the students up as their own individual selves. Having them leave us the better version of themselves,” says Principal Robinson.  “In S.T.E.A.M. we try to foster all of the components, the science, tech, education, arts, and music. Then, our International Baccalaureate education allows us to leverage a lot of that social development in our scholars. We focus a lot on the IB learner profile attributes. Building them as being open minded and risk takers, caring, reflective. And then through S.T.E.A.M., we get to build in a lot of hands-on learning experience.”

Scholars are constantly engaged mentally and physically working with some of P.S. 93’s partners in education (Studios in the Schools, Notes in Motion, Flamenco Vivo, and Anthropology Arts).

“We don’t want learning to be boring, we don’t want it to be mundane,” says Principal Robinson. “We want it to be fun, we want it to be exciting for our learners. We want to broaden their perspectives. And we want them to have experiences when they’re in our four walls and experiences on school trips exploring the community, and learning about people who are not just from their own communities.”

According to Principal Robinson, the best way for their scholars to learn about the surrounding community is with help from the most important people in their own lives: parental figures. Principal Robinson is working together with her staff to build deeper connections with the parents.

“The third week of every month, we have parents coming in and they are assigned to a class or they read to the scholars,” she says. “It’s just nice to have them in the building and be a part of what’s going on. It’s a great start, we just want to continue to be consistent with those practices so they feel more and more comfortable being in the school.”

Sharing a building with a middle school also gives Principal Robinson the drive and desire to grow the entire P.S. 93 campus community. 

“We want to welcome more and more families into our school community. We are a campus so we try to retain a lot of our scholars who move through our grades. We encourage our 5th graders to stay in the building and attend the middle school upstairs because we care about not just P.S. 93, but our campus,” she says. “We’re a growing community school. Growth is in all aspects of our work. Not just growth in numbers. But growth in how we approach the work, the quality of education that we’re continuing to develop. We service the scholars when they’re here, and we know they have needs but we also know that our families have needs. We want our community to know that we’re here for them. We’re here as a resource not just for your child, but for you as well. Come in, we are here for you. Whatever you need, we’ll find those resources to support you.”

This relentless focus on teamwork and growth is what makes Team S.T.E.A.M. certain that the possibilities at P.S. 93 are endless.

“A lot of time in school buildings we find individuals just focused on their duties. Their goals and what they need to do without realizing that everybody’s role and duties connect,” says Principal Robinson. “And it’s when we come together and do this work together that we’ll achieve the most.”